Freezer Bag Cooking – Adverse Health Impact?

[Richard Nisley]

Is freezer bag cooking a health hazard?

Various scientific studies have recommended against cooking in plastic with a microwave. Does similar chemical leeching occur after pouring boiling water into a plastic bag / cozy combination for a 10 minute food rehydration?

[Richard Nisley]

Evidence was also found that acetaldehyde migrated out of PET and into water.

[Barry P]

I don’t know how accurate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetaldehyde is but they make some interesting points:

“Acetaldehyde occurs naturally in coffee, bread, and ripe fruit,^[10] and is produced by plants.”

“Acetaldehyde naturally breaks down in the human body^[”

What I take from this article is if you don’t have a certain enzyme that’s natural in the human body, you will have problems.

-Barry

[Brad Rogers]

My take is that with the amount of days that I freezer bag cook per year it’s probably not an issue.  I might not want to do it on a daily basis, just like cooking in aluminum, which I think some studies have linked to health concerns.  I take the same approach with artificial sweetners.  If I drink one drink per couple of months that is artificially sweetened (I like the Diet Lemonade at Chick-fil-A), it’s probably not going to hurt me, but if I did it all the time, it might have adverse consequences.

[David Thomas]

SC Johnson, the manufacturer of Ziplock-Brand freezer bags, says there is no BPA in their products, including the LDPE used in the storage bags.

[JCH]

This SC Johnson? 

🤨

Regardless, I agree with @mocs123.  Everything in moderation.

[Franco Darioli]

SC Johnson is a family owned company

 

Johnson and Johnson is a multinational owned company

 

 

[Ken Larson]

FoodSaver branded bags………

FoodSaver® Bags are made of polyethylene (a type of plastic) with an outer layer of nylon for added strength and rigidity.

The key is to stick with vacuum bags that are BPA, phthalates, and other plasticizers. … The FoodSaver bags are 5 layers of polyethylene with an outer layer of nylon. While you might get BPA from your cans of coconut milk, there is simply no BPA that will get into your food from sous vide.

(Def:   sous-vide is a method of cooking in which food is placed in a plastic pouch or a glass jar and cooked in a water bath for longer than usual cooking times at an accurately regulated temperature. The temperature is much lower than usually used for cooking, typically around 55 to 60 °C for meat, higher for vegetables. Wikipedia)

 

[JCH]

@franco – my mistake, thanks for the clarification.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Being that I am the one behind the majority of all FBC recipes….let me clarify one thing up front: No one has to use freezer bags to use the recipes. No one. You can do them in your pot, in a mug, in a bowl, however you like….and still save fuel and water, with less cleanup. (But remember kids, use unlined pots and not that evil Teflon ;-) )

Having said that….look at how few days you backpack per year and how few meals you consume, and run those numbers versus how many meals you eat at home/on the road in disposable containers (and yes, plastic lined paper coffee cups count kids!). You will find that your backpacking meals are a tiny, tiny drop compared to the average American’s use of single use plastic in food consumption.

One other thing: Bags are made of polyethylene and BPA is a hardener – it has not been used in bags…because bags are flexible by nature. The difference between freezer bags and food vac bags is their thickness. Same material.

PS2: Did you know silicone bags exist? Yes! Luumi is one brand to check out.

[Franco Darioli]

given that some boil water using a soft drink or beer can or at least drink from them , I thought this video could be of some interest here :

if you want to know what that lining is made with :
https://www.reagent.co.uk/the-science-behind-a-soda-can/

[Anonymous]

Ken, companies do not have to disclose to the public every little chemical they put into their plastic formulations, and even polyethylene often has some kind of plasticizers.

What are plasticizers?   They are chemicals that help to make the plastic, well more plastic and pliable/flexible. A harder HDPE type plastic is going to have less (or no) plasticizers in it than say a ziplock or grocery bag. They do not necessarily have to be hormone mimicking and disrupting in nature, but as we learn more, it seems like a definite percentage have those kinds of effects, and sometimes worse than BPA.

I don’t know if it’s used in modern plastics, but there is an old, natural plasticizer that many of us know of as glycerin, which use to be a byproduct of soap making. This is very safe for the body, and can be, and is often eaten/put in foods.

I’ve experimented with using glycerin in creating gel electrolyte battery formulations. Interesting stuff.  Unfortunately, it has a tendency to attract water/moisture to it.  It would be cool if it could be added to PE to soften/plasticize it some.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Well, you can always go old skool and forage your food while hiking. Let me know how that goes. Lol.

[Thomas U]

It seems that the bags that are commonly used to prepare food in the backcountry are BPA-free but what about Phthalates in those same plastic bags? Consumer Reports had a recent article that was somewhat frightening! SC Johnson has said on their website that phthalates are not in their Saran or Ziplock products.  What about plastic bags sold on trail-related websites? I sent an inquiry to Packit Gourmet but I’m sure some of you may have already done this research. Thanks in advance for your answers. much appreciated. https://www.consumerreports.org/health/food-contaminants/the-plastic-chemicals-hiding-in-your-food-a7358224781/article  

[Brad W]

SC Johnsons statement brings no comfort to me. All plastics have the ability to leach chemicals. Saying it’s BPA free is like saying brand X of rat poison is arsenic free. Over the top but you get the point.

[Terran Terran]

I’m 67. Never had any plastic related health issues that come to mind. Plastic waste is a concern. We may only be a tiny fraction of the population, but we’re talking a population of billions where only 0.1% is a huge number. Do your part.

[Josh J]

I carry food in plastic don’t eat out of it or cook in it.  I drink out of plastic water bottle while hiking bc glass and metal are heavy, at home and work I drink out of metal or glass

[Thomas U]

I think Sarah’s suggestion about Silicone bags is a good idea. I’m going to give them a try.

[David D]

Silicone bags are pretty heavy.

Mylar/Al  bags like Wallaby are safe, light and provide natural odour blocking to protect from critters big and small

[Thomas U]

That’s a good suggestion in mylar bags.

[Author]

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